


And Then There Were Four

by sunflower_sky



Category: Six of Crows Series - Leigh Bardugo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:20:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26313301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunflower_sky/pseuds/sunflower_sky
Summary: Kaz Brekker is dead, and the Crows are in mourning. Watch the mystery unfold as the events of the past few weeks flash through Kaz's dying memory.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 20
Collections: Grishaverse Big Bang 2020





	And Then There Were Four

INEJ

Inej had walked silently from the funeral to her top floor room of the Van Eck mansion. She made sure to arrive first and lock the window and door before sinking to the floor with a sob. Her chest heaved in and out, and tears flew down her face, dripping down her already-soaked cloak. Inej unbuttoned it and tossed it to the side, breathing quickly. She stared down at the light gloves in her hands, made for the freezing fall. Black would’ve been more practical for sneaking around, but every time she would look at her hands, she would see him. The new ones she bought were the same coppery color as her skin. Ripping them off, Inej tried to calm down, but grief overwhelmed her, a tidal wave encasing her slight body. She would have to leave the house sooner or later. Every time she heard Nina or Jesper climb the stairs below her, she would hear the familiar thump of a cane in their place. Combing her fingers through her damp hair, she stood up and leaned her forehead against the windowsill, perched on top of it.The rain fell softly, almost mocking her tears. The front door downstairs had been unlocked, and she could hear Jesper mumbling something angrily. She could hear Nina climb as softly as possible, as she always did when she checked on her. Inej wondered when she would take the hint that she didn’t want to be talked to. Just left alone to grieve. Something was gripping around her heart and lungs, making it hard to swallow the salty tears that continued to flow.

JESPER

Jesper wasn’t dealing with the death well. He wandered the streets at night, mostly just looking for someone to blame. Occasionally, he’d sense Inej tailing him from the rooftops, watching him. No Dreg was off-limits anymore, and they all stalked through the Barrel with a newfound caution. Sometimes he would just wander, other times just cry. It felt like there was always something that needed to happen, like he had to keep active at all times. Wylan had tried to comfort him, but the two of them could barely face each other anymore. It was like something other than Kaz had died and extinguished everyone’s spark. Nina and Inej were staying with them for the time being, and now four ghosts wandered the Van Eck residence, only interacting for quiet meals and somber gatherings. Nina hadn’t left her guest room for days. Jesper cast a fleeting glance towards the Crow Club, shuttered and dark. The club had been empty for days, its former owner unable to run it since Per Haskell had left. He could get it back up and running. Brekker would do it. Jesper took a breath in before walking through the doors of the empty club and turning on the lights. He could take over. As Kaz’s second-in-command, no one would question his right to the property. With the leftover kruge he had left from saving his father’s farm, he would be able to trade and become a force to be reckoned with. Hell, he could turn the Crow Club into something completely fresh and new. Straightening his tie in the mirror, he set up the dealer’s table. For now, he would run it like before. 

  
  


WYLAN

Wylan blamed himself. He had spent days without any memory, a shell of his former being. He barely slept or talked anymore, and he hadn’t practiced flute in weeks. His science equipment was gathering dust in his lab, shuttered and dark. Jesper had spent nights leaned against him, the pair silent and contemplative. They didn’t read together anymore. Wylan would watch the ships move in and out of the harbor, looking for any kind of sign. The unusual ship he had seen just a few days earlier was still docked, and he squinted to get a better look at it. This couldn’t be a coincidence. There were a thousand people that wanted Kaz dead, but very few that could best him. Everything worried him. If someone went after Kaz, they could be targeting every Dreg. The house was full of strangers that he couldn’t bring himself to talk to, but there was nowhere else safe. If he had visited Kaz at the Slat like he was planning to do, would any of this had happened? Wylan barely slept or talked anymore, and he hadn’t practiced flute in weeks. He wanted to do something to honor Kaz, but committing a crime was definitely not a good way to stay in the good graces of the Merchant Council. 

NINA

Nina couldn’t keep herself together. Kaz’s death felt like a double punch to the stomach as Matthias had only died a few months ago. She hadn’t stopped crying. Nina hadn’t used her powers in weeks and the Crows had started to notice how dull she appeared. Occasionally, when she would go up the stairs to the second floor guest bedroom, she would hear Inej sobbing upstairs. She’d always go up the extra flight when it happened to knock on the door and check in, but there was only a wall of silence. It was like the world had turned upside down. She kept waiting for Kaz to tell her to take out a stadwatch officer or whisk her off to another dangerous heist. She didn’t dream anymore. Memories would resurface and she couldn’t control them. A few of her friends had sent letters expressing their condolences, but the envelopes remained unopened in a pile on her dressing table. _What did they know about either of them_? She would feel a hot pang of anger every time she received another meaningless letter full of baseless sympathy. 

INEJ

Kaz was dead. This wasn’t any kind of trick or a scheme to get his own life insurance money, he was honest-to-Ghezen, bullet to the ribs dead. Inej had docked her ship in Berth 22 as soon as she heard the news. She was even quieter than usual, but had gained more fire in her eyes than ever before. Swearing to find the culprit, she unsheathed her knives, ready to avenge him. This was not how the Crows had imagined reuniting. They expected another heist, maybe even more near-death experiences. Not huddled against each other, dealing with another actual death. It was a suitably rainy and miserable day. Jesper slipped his hand into Wylan’s, trying to connect in some way. Tears were dripping down Nina’s face. Inej stood away from the grave, stoic and silent. 

Even Jesper couldn’t make a joke. There was nothing but a silent wall of Crows before Wylan spoke, his voice soft. 

“I should’ve told him to be careful. There were new trade ships in the harbor today-” 

“It was nobody’s fault except his killer’s,” Inej whispered. 

“Everything just feels… wrong, not having him here.” Nina seemed to be taking it the hardest. She had already been inconsolable over Matthias, but Kaz’s death was clearly taking its toll. Her face looked thinner than usual and there were dark circles under her eyes. She stepped forward to the cold stone and placed a flower on top of it. 

“Roeder gave me his cane and gloves. It feels wrong to separate him from them.” Inej folded them neatly in front of the grave and leaned his cane against it. 

KAZ

Roeder had found him too late. He had been heading over to the Dregs’ headquarters when he spied a dark shape in a canal. Kaz Brekker stared back at him, eyes unfocused and lifeless. The unbeatable bastard had been beaten. Drops of scarlet were scattered across the bank of the canal, defiantly colorful against the light grey. His cane was lying in an alleyway, a confused trail of blood straggling its way to the water.

Kaz was exhausted. Every breath rattled in his chest, and the canal water was seeping through his suit, chilling him to the bone. The world blurred around him as he watched, _remembered_ , his final hour of life.

  
“Brekker,” Eamon had snarled as he saw the bastard approach him. Kaz merely straightened his tie. The Barrel bastard kept himself level headed as he slowed to a stop, facing Eamon. 

“Ah, so Rollins has dared to show his face in Ketterdam again. Interesting. Why are you here again?” 

“The boss wants to meet with ya. Sent me to get you.”

“And if I refuse?” His face was a mask devoid of any emotion.

“You won’t. He’s got a great deal.”

“What could the most hated man in Ketterdam want with the bastard that put a bullet through his company?” Kaz smirked. “I decline.”

“Listen, you’re gonna WISH you met with Pekka sooner by the time I’m done with you.”

“Oh yeah, Eamon? What are you gonna do, shove me into the canal?” He calmly swept his cane in a smooth arc, tripping Eamon to the bank of it. “Drink up, buddy, because that’s the last thing you’re gonna taste for a while.”

“Go to hell, Brekker! We’re closer to Lions territory than Dregs. You mess with me, you’re gonna get the whole gang on your heels.” Eamon narrowed his eyes, pulled himself up, and grabbed Kaz by the tie, finger hovering at the bridge of Kaz’s nose.

“I can’t go to hell if I’m already the demon who runs it,” he replied smoothly. “If I die, it’s on my feet. Send for your crooked little pride of cats. Nobody will come.”

“You can’t even hear me out about this deal, huh? What happened to your money over your morals?”

“My childhood. Eat shit and die, Eamon.” Kaz pulled his gun from his waistband, pushing Eamon back, pointing the barrel at his forehead. “You have two options. Stand down, or perish.” 

Unsurprisingly, when confronted with a gun just centimeters from his face, Eamon eased back, eyes hardening. “Two can play at this game.” Eamon pulled out a gun of his own. “A duel it is then, bastard.” 

The two had a tense second of staring as they backed away from each other, Eamon’s back to the brick wall of the alleyway, Kaz’s to the canal. He raised the gun, firing it straight for Eamon. It merely grazed his shoulder and buried itself in the wall. The Dime Lion winced in pain as he aimed the weapon. A shot rang out and the bullet dug into the edge of Kaz’s calf, tearing a hole in his pant leg. 

“That wasn’t even a good shot.” What was he doing? He had to keep fighting. Brekker tried to ignore the searing pain in his leg and the sight of his own blood. “Brick by brick,” he whispered. The shot echoed across the Barrel, followed by Eamon’s scream. His blue eyes stared directly into Kaz’s deep brown, hurt knitting at his eyebrows. Kaz barely flinched, staring right back. “Is that all you’ve got? Because this pain isn’t even the tip of the iceberg.” Before Kaz could blink, Eamon’s gun was pointed straight for his ribs. 

“Any parting words for Rollins, Brekker?”

“I’ll see him when I’m the king of hell.”

Eamon pressed his hand to his shoulder, trying to staunch the bleeding. He had gone pale. “How...are you...still...standing?” Fury burned across his tongue as he tried desperately to aim straight. He began to advance towards the bastard, smirking as he watched the boy lean heavily on his cane. 

“I always get up.” He kept his gun steady in his hand, pointing it up at Eamon’s forehead. They were only a few paces away from each other. 

“Not this time.” Eamon pulled the trigger. 

Scarlet bloomed across Kaz Brekker’s chest, the sharp scent of gunpowder flooding his nostrils as he struggled to prop himself up and keep fighting. His cane clicked against the uneven pavement of the barrel alleyway, cold indifference burning in his eyes. A black-gloved hand raised the gun, aiming it straight for his opponent. His breathing shifted, shallow and quick, and he pressed his hand to his side, setting the gun in his belt. Damn it. Kaz could feel his pulse slowing. He tried to focus, but he just felt dizzy. He couldn’t even see Eamon clearly. The lieutenant had raised his gun, challenging him. He tried to steady himself, but there was too much fog in his brain to properly comprehend the scene. Kaz gritted his teeth, gripping for his gun. 

A sour laugh had come from somewhere deep inside him as he narrowed his eyes. “You think this is over? This is just the beginning, and you can pass that on to Rollins. I’m sure he remembers the last time we spoke.” Blood dripped from his mouth as the light began to leave his eyes, confusion taking over his brain. Eamon stared him down, a sickly grin curling at his lips. In one swift move, he had snatched Kaz’s cane out of his hand. He caught himself against the wall of the alleyway, good leg bleeding profusely. Scrabbling for a better grip, he began to remove his gloves, fingers digging into the mortar of the bricks next to him. Swiping the blood from his lips, he stumbled towards the canal. _Maybe he could push Eamon in._ He was panting heavily, the water rippling in front of him. Jordie’s face stared back at him. Kaz did a double-take. 

“It’s you.” His rasp was barely louder than a whisper. “I’m not going to be able to keep fighting, am I?”

Jordie’s voice reverberated through his skull. “It’s not always this painful, you know. You just have to let go. I did my best, and now you’ll do yours.” 

Kaz swallowed, throat dry and rough. He coughed, blood flecking his lips. “My best could never be good enough for you, Jordie.”

“You’ve built an empire, Kaz. The Rietvelds will live on in memory.” Jordie paused, hand reaching out towards his brother’s. “Join me. You’ve never known when to stop, but I do. Now is the time.”

Kaz could feel salt stinging at his lips. He felt a hand cup to his cheek like some kind of cold mist. The two could be together now. Brothers reunited.

“I’m sorry.” Kaz’s apology had died on his lips and his knees buckled, sending him inches from the water. A hand caught the back of his shirt. Eamon’s hand. He turned Kaz to face him, grim except for the quirk at his lips. Kaz blinked slowly up at him, black spots dancing in front of his eyes, and dipped backwards into the canal, a dazed look still on his face.


End file.
